Just off 15 night Cruise on Solstice

[Chrisclaire]

This is our 7th cruise with Celebrity and was a decider as to whether we would remain with Celebrity or "jump ship"

I have gained invaluable information from CC over the years and wanted to share my honest thoughts about our latest cruise.........

We had a balcony stateroom, therefore ate in the MDR and OV cafe.

No speciality dining this cruise.

 

MDR

One of the most important things for us is the seating in the MDR

We like to dine at a table for 2.

First evening we were sat at a table for 2, but the tables were so close together that we would have been as well sharing.

This has always been an issue for us that we have had to address.

We were also sat next to the work station for the staff coming and going.....not pleasant!

We met with the Maitre d who listened to our concers and organised a table that remained ours the duration of the cruise.

This made our dining experience so much better.  Thankyou Joseph!

The service we received was first class, professional, efficient and friendly.

The food, IMO was very good.

The plates were always hot, presentation good and a decent choice with "specials" available each night.......chateaubriand being one of them.....delicious!

The french onion soup has remained as good as the 1st time I tried it and despite the bad press, the mashed potatoes were very tasty!

There were always managers visible in the MDR observing and acting when necessary. 

My overall impression was excellent!

Everything we requested was met with a "yes, no problem" and I felt the staff genuinely wanted to please.

There were always short queues at the entrance, but they were efficiently managed.

 

OV Cafe......

I thought the choice of food was excellent and much improved from our cruise last year on Constellation. 

I was impressed with the sign on the table asking for guest's to vacate the table when finished, if busy.

Not sure I've seen that before.

 

I loved the Solstice

The size was perfect for us, easy to navigate and very comfortable seating areas.

There was a great vibe on the ship and as per usual, the staff were "The Stars"

The "Manager's" were way more visible & friendly than our previous cruise, with the exception of the Captain.

Only saw him once at the ceremony crossing the Equator!

 

Our stateroom on deck 8 was perfectly acceptable, we opted for the green package & met with our attendant to discuss our requirements.

This worked well for us & our room was well serviced.

You can tell it's an older ship but had everything we required. I definitely favoured the glass doors in the shower, to the curtain on Constellation!

The bed was very very comfortable, looks like they have added a topper.

 

We had many sea day's and the pool area was very busy.

I noticed that the pool staff were removing towels from unoccupied bed's.

It did state on the daily brief that towels would be romoved after 30 minutes.

I personally feel this is too short, but like the fact they are attempting to address it.

Some guest's were incredibly selfish.

 

There is a qr code on the daily brief for feedback.

I used this on a few occasions to compliment staff and to highlight anything we were unhappy with.

One of my complaints was there were no brandy glasses when I ordered a brandy.

Minor I know, but you wouldn't serve beer in a wine glass!

Whilst at dinner, the F&B manager approached our table to discuss.

He ensured that each bar would have the galsses available & he was correct!

I was most impressed with this follow up!

My advice.....if you are unhappy with anything, send feedback whilst on the ship to give the staff a chance to rectify.

 

Unfortunately we do not attend the shows, so can't comment.

Although the band's round the pool and bars were excellent.

 

The overall appearance IMO of the Solstice considering it's age is very good. It was being painted outside whilst we were overnight in Bali.

 

 

In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed our trip and was most impressed with the service, the food and the comfort.

I got the impression that Celebrity were doing what they could to please guest's and improve on the issue's highlighted on CC many times.

 

I went on this cruise with some concern after reading much negatively, but with an open mind.

I would say the improvement from our Constellation cruise in September 2022 to this one is 100%

 

Will I "jump ship"?

Absolutely NOT.

More than happy to book another Celebrity cruise and will look forward to the continued improvements!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Captain-John]

Thanks for the insight. Hopefully this is the start of the tide turning (back to what it was!). We are sailing Celebrity for the first time next May in Japan and I had serious reservations after booking when reading these boards.

 

Chateaubriand in the MDR is certainly more along the lines of what I was thinking Celebrity would deliver.

 

Management visibilty and speedy reaction to feedback is also a positive sign.

 

 

 

[chemmo]

Thank you for such a clear and honest review!

 

So agree with you that if you have an issue, raise it with the staff and give them the opportunity to put things right. Also agree with you about wanting your brandy in a brandy glass….Doesn’t taste the same in a tumbler!

[Chrisclaire]

14 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

Thanks for the insight. Hopefully this is the start of the tide turning (back to what it was!). We are sailing Celebrity for the first time next May in Japan and I had serious reservations after booking when reading these boards.

 

Chateaubriand in the MDR is certainly more along the lines of what I was thinking Celebrity would deliver.

 

Management visibilty and speedy reaction to feedback is also a positive sign.

 

 

 

I see you are from Edinburgh also!

I hope you have a fantastic time in Japan.

We waited a long time for our Oz trip & weren't disappointed.

 

When we spoke with Joseph Rebello, Maitre D'Specialty he advised us that there were big, positive changes coming in the next few months!  I wonder if that's why they are trialling the "specials"

We are not posh nosh people, but we do expect good food presented and served well.

 

Agree, management are key with such a large number of staff.

 

Chateaubriand pictured 😆

 

 

 

[Captain-John]

Thanks! I need to save up some more Avios before looking at Oz but it is on the list too. Glad you had a good time.

 

Interesting comment about 'big, positive changes.' The video that was circulating from the CEO recently seemed to confirm reversal of cutbacks rather than new and big improvements but I would of course welcome  improvements on top.

 

Looks tasty! I'd swap the mash for fries (call me refined!).

[C4HCG]

43 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

Thanks for the insight. Hopefully this is the start of the tide turning (back to what it was!). We are sailing Celebrity for the first time next May in Japan and I had serious reservations after booking when reading these boards.

 

Chateaubriand in the MDR is certainly more along the lines of what I was thinking Celebrity would deliver.

 

Management visibilty and speedy reaction to feedback is also a positive sign.

 

 

 

Think the tide has been slowly turning for a while with quite a few positive reviews posted here from people returning from recent cruises. They tend to get lost amongst the many other threads.

[Jandex]

Wholeheartedly agree with Chrisclaire. 
We recently returned from our very first Celebrity Cruise on the Solstice and were very impressed. Wonderful ship with wonderful crew. Will definitely be sailing Celebrity again. 

[mahdnc]

Thank you for your review. We will be sailing on her for the 3rd time next month (the first time since the cutbacks). 
 

How were the ports you visited?

[PTC DAWG]

The specials in the MDR sounds like a nice touch to me.  This may be a stop gap until the new menus are fleetwide..we shall see.  I hope they keep it myself.  I like being surprised with choices.  

[Chrisclaire]

28 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Thank you for your review. We will be sailing on her for the 3rd time next month (the first time since the cutbacks). 
 

How were the ports you visited?

Hope you have a great time!

 

We had 2 nights in Sydney and loved it.

The ship was docked close to the Opera House and the sail away was amazing.

The embarkation was a shambles.

Total disorganisation until you entered the building to check in, then it was very well organised.

They were very strict with who they allowed on and when.

I.e. if your checkin time was 1pm and you arrived earlier, they didn't let you on. I think this caused a lot of problems as many were arriving early.

 

Brisbane, we did a Celebrity Trip to the Gold Coast.

Coach travel and left to go it alone.

I reckon we could have done it much cheaper,  but hey you have the perks that go with booking through Celebrity. 

 

Airlie Beach was tendered, which is a bit of a pain & time consuming. 

We did a private tour with 30 others to Whitsunday Island and Whitehaven Beach.

Absolutely fantastic!

Didn't see any of Airlie Beach....sorry.

 

Cairns,  another Celebrity tour to Kuranda.

Again tendered & a pain to get off.

Again, saw nothing of Cairns but the Kuranda scenic train trip was well worth a visit. 

 

Darwin, we did ourselves, there was a shuttle bus at the port. Wandered round the shops for a bit, not really a whole lot to see or do and the temperatures were pretty unbearable!

 

Bali, the ship was docked overnight.

The biggest cruise ship ever to visit Benoa.

That was fun watching all the staff at the port taking photos.

We decided to book an hotel at Nusa Dua to spend a night in Bali.

Driver transfer to & from (organised by the Hotel)

It was around 20 minutes away & worked really well.

Nice to be off the ship for a bit.

Again, didn't see any sights in Bali, happy to chill by the pool.

 

Singapore, exceptionally organised and very slick disembarkation.

Spent 2 nights here and loved every minute despite the hot, humid weather.

Singapore slings at Raffles was a highlight.

 

Hope this helps, sorry to ramble on.....still on a high 🤣🤣🤣

 

Ps  Many were commenting on how little time the ship spent in the ports, which restricted what you could & couldn't do (especially the tendered port's)

 

[deliver42]

What a pleasure to see a positive review. Thank you for your time in writing it.

[mahdnc]

6 minutes ago, Chrisclaire said:

Hope you have a great time!

 

We had 2 nights in Sydney and loved it.

The ship was docked close to the Opera House and the sail away was amazing.

The embarkation was a shambles.

Total disorganisation until you entered the building to check in, then it was very well organised.

They were very strict with who they allowed on and when.

I.e. if your checkin time was 1pm and you arrived earlier, they didn't let you on. I think this caused a lot of problems as many were arriving early.

 

Brisbane, we did a Celebrity Trip to the Gold Coast.

Coach travel and left to go it alone.

I reckon we could have done it much cheaper,  but hey you have the perks that go with booking through Celebrity. 

 

Airlie Beach was tendered, which is a bit of a pain & time consuming. 

We did a private tour with 30 others to Whitsunday Island and Whitehaven Beach.

Absolutely fantastic!

Didn't see any of Airlie Beach....sorry.

 

Cairns,  another Celebrity tour to Kuranda.

Again tendered & a pain to get off.

Again, saw nothing of Cairns but the Kuranda scenic train trip was well worth a visit. 

 

Darwin, we did ourselves, there was a shuttle bus at the port. Wandered round the shops for a bit, not really a whole lot to see or do and the temperatures were pretty unbearable!

 

Bali, the ship was docked overnight.

The biggest cruise ship ever to visit Benoa.

That was fun watching all the staff at the port taking photos.

We decided to book an hotel at Nusa Dua to spend a night in Bali.

Driver transfer to & from (organised by the Hotel)

It was around 20 minutes away & worked really well.

Nice to be off the ship for a bit.

Again, didn't see any sights in Bali, happy to chill by the pool.

 

Singapore, exceptionally organised and very slick disembarkation.

Spent 2 nights here and loved every minute despite the hot, humid weather.

Singapore slings at Raffles was a highlight.

 

Hope this helps, sorry to ramble on.....still on a high 🤣🤣🤣

 

Ps  Many were commenting on how little time the ship spent in the ports, which restricted what you could & couldn't do (especially the tendered port's)

 

 

Both times we sailed on Solstice shave been from Sydney.  It is an awesome city and Sydney Harbour is so picturesque.  I guess we were lucky as we have never had a problem with embarkation however I can see how the traffic to the Overseas Passenger Terminal could be bad during peak times.  Also the space for traffic around the OPT is especially tight.

 

Tendering at the Great Barrier Reef ports is a very long process, indeed.

 

[Chrisclaire]

7 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

What a pleasure to see a positive review. Thank you for your time in writing it.

My pleasure 🙂

[Chrisclaire]

2 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Both times we sailed on Solstice shave been from Sydney.  It is an awesome city and Sydney Harbour is so picturesque.  I guess we were lucky as we have never had a problem with embarkation however I can see how the traffic to the Overseas Passenger Terminal could be bad during peak times.  Also the space for traffic around the OPT is especially tight.

 

Tendering at the Great Barrier Reef ports is a very long process, indeed.

 

Great photo of Solstice!

[rubens]

Sorry that's not a recent photo

[cruisinsusin]

We were on this cruise as well as the preceding Hawaii to Sydney leg. We found the food in the MDR to be much better with more options on the Sydney to Singapore leg and also enjoyed the chef’s specials (Beef Wellington one night ).  The service was excellent on MDR ( and really everywhere) both legs .

[chrismakris]

Any chance there was a bartender named Andre on the sailing? When we sailed the Solstice in December He was mainly in the casino bar when we were on it. 
 

Hoping he’s on there again. 

[Chrisclaire]

2 hours ago, chrismakris said:

Any chance there was a bartender named Andre on the sailing? When we sailed the Solstice in December He was mainly in the casino bar when we were on it. 
 

Hoping he’s on there again. 

Sorry, don't know.

We don't use the casino.

[muleman]

We are doing this same cruise next year and very excited to hear it was good. We have always liked the Solstice and that size ship. Any recommendations on airlines to and from Sydney/Singapore? We are going from Midwest and have always arranged our own airfares but think we may go through Celebrity this time. And any recommendation on hotels in Sydney near the port? Things to do?

[mahdnc]

34 minutes ago, muleman said:

And any recommendation on hotels in Sydney near the port? 

Rydges Sydney Harbour is recommended by many. Its pricing is pretty good and it is located almost right next to the pier.

 

The Park Hyatt Sydney is the nicest and closest hotel to the pier if price is no object. 

 

We’ve stayed at the Sydney Harbour Marriott the last time we took a cruise from there on 2019. 
 

We are thinking of staying at Sebel Quay West when we sail out of Sydney in 2025

Edited November 11, 2023 by mahdnc

[cruisinsusin]

43 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Rydges Sydney Harbour is recommended by many. Its pricing is pretty good and it is located almost right next to the pier.

 

The Park Hyatt Sydney is the nicest and closest hotel to the pier if price is no object. 

 

We’ve stayed at the Sydney Harbour Marriott the last time we took a cruise from there on 2019. 
 

We are thinking of staying at Sebel Quay West when we sail out of Sydney in 2025

Park Hyatt was wonderful.

in Singapore, we really liked the Intercontinental- the club lounge was excellent

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, muleman said:

Things to do?

 

Take a guided tour of the iconic Sydney Opera House or better yet, attend a performance there. 

If you’re adventurous, do the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb for the amazing views. If you don’t want to put in that kind of effort (or pay that much), you can get very impressive views from the observation deck of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon.  
 

Take a passenger ferry across Sydney Harbour and visit the Taronga Zoo Sydney to see kangaroos, wombats, koalas, Tasmanian devils, and of course the amazing platypus. If you prefer to see them naturally in the wild, you can book a tour with companies that do that. Or you can even book a hotel room at the zoo if you’re interested in seeing koalas from your balcony or you’d like an after hours tour of the zoo. 
 

The Botanical Gardens of Sydney are very nice. Great place to do some walking and located near Sydney Harbour. 
 

My wife and I enjoyed strolling, shopping, and eating at the Rocks Market which is open only on Saturdays and Sundays. It is located right next to the bridge and the Rydges Sydney Harbour hotel (another reason to stay there). 
 

For astronomy geeks, the Sydney Observatory has tours and viewing through their telescopes in the evening. 
 

Everything I mentioned above is very close to Sydney Harbour. However a popular place to visit that is outside of Sydney are the Blue Mountains. 
 

Also be sure to enjoy formal Afternoon Tea at one of the many locations in Sydney. The Park Hyatt has a very nice one if you want views of the Opera House and harbor (with prices to match).  The Tea Room at the Queen Victoria Building has marvelous ambience and will make you feel that you are in London even though it is located in the Central Business District of Sydney which means you’ll also have shopping opportunities. There are many other outstanding Afternoon Tea places in Sydney, those were the two that we have experience with. During our next visit, we may try out The Tea Cosy located at The Rocks. 

Edited November 11, 2023 by mahdnc

[timtam2]

On 11/9/2023 at 1:05 AM, Chrisclaire said:

 

We decided to book an hotel at Nusa Dua to spend a night in Bali.

Driver transfer to & from (organised by the Hotel)

It was around 20 minutes away & worked really well.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm on the Edge doing the reverse itinerary very soon and am considering doing that for our overnight in Bali. Can I ask which hotel did you stay at in Nusa Dua?I'm looking at the Conrad.

[cruisinsusin]

Second the recommendation for the guided tour of the Opera house- we did this on our recent turn around day and really enjoyed it. The Taronga zoo is excellent and the ferry ride over from the quay is pretty quick.  We also enjoy taking the ferry to Manley and just walking around. We have snorkeled from there in the past but understand there have been shark sightings recently so not sure I would recommend that now😳

[Chrisclaire]

13 hours ago, timtam2 said:

I'm on the Edge doing the reverse itinerary very soon and am considering doing that for our overnight in Bali. Can I ask which hotel did you stay at in Nusa Dua?I'm looking at the Conrad.

We stayed at the Bali Tropic Resort & Spa.

It was lovely, very traditional.

Little bungalows dotted around beautiful gardens.

We were upgraded to the Royal Room and it was beautiful.

Breakfast was included and it was excellent. 

Incredibly reasonable price too 👍 

Enjoy!